Healing
by Inkblot0Blue
Summary: All Apollo Justice wanted was to see his friend again. Unfortunately, he had to learn the hard way. At least someone had been in the same position to know well enough what's going on through his mind. And hopefully she would help him understand. [Apollo/ Aura, friendship]


**_Author's Note: I decided to write an Apollo and Aura oneshot on them bonding over losing someone. I'm not so good when it comes to writing sad stuff but I gave it my best shot. This takes place sometime during or before The Cosmic Turnabout. Constructive criticism and feedback is always appreciated! Enjoy!_**

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><p><em>"Hello, is this Apollo Justice?"<em>

_"Yes, has something happened?"_

_"We felt we ought to inform you about your best friend, Clay Terran…"_

_"What about Clay?"_

_"He's been murdered; we found his body earlier today."_

_"What?"_

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><p>All Apollo Justice wanted was to see his friend again; in the flesh, laughing with him, joking and having fun.<p>

Unfortunately he had to learn the hard way.

He stood in the Space Museum, covered in bandages, staring at the photograph of his friend. He tried to hold back tears, but, he had to restrain himself. The shock left him as just as shell; meaningless and lifeless.

Clay Terran had not deserved to die.

The astronaut had his life ahead of him. He was going to go into space. He would have fulfilled his dream if it had not been for that horrifying incident.

Apollo banged on the glass.

_Why?_ He asked himself. _Why did all the good ones die?_

But no one had an answer for his question. The times he shared with Clay would be nothing more than a fleeting memory. It would serve no purpose than to remind the lawyer that he had a life back then.

Apollo took out his badge; it was merely a lump of metal. He couldn't save Klavier Gavin from the pain of losing his brother, or to defend Solomon Starbuck properly. He let his emotions get to him and was later involved in the courtroom bombing.

That profession was suited to Phoenix Wright - the man he looked up to; the man who save them all. Even in his darkest hour, his disbarment, he managed to find evidence. Apollo only presented it.

He had achieved nothing, apart from a cold lump of metal that sat in his hand. He glared at it, before placing it in his pocket again.

"You seem like a lonesome soul, wandering aimlessly." A voice snapped him out of his reverie.

Apollo turned to face Aura Blackquill. He had met her several years ago, back when he and Clay used to visit often. The thought left him feeling bitter.

"Do you want a cup of tea? It'll clear your mind." She pointed her head in the direction of the robotics lab upstairs.

He nodded, uttering a short, weak "Thank you."

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><p>What Apollo first realized was his change in personality. He spoke nothing of the incident to anyone; keeping himself reserved. His voice became weak and quiet; his chords of steel were no longer put to use. Athena would say he was in shock; not that she ever knew what it was like to lose someone. At least, that was what went through Apollo's mind at the time.<p>

But with Aura Blackquill, he could sense she had been in the same position as he is now. Apollo had never known she had dealt with more than one loss. He wanted to understand; he wanted to know why Clay died. He wanted to know why they all died.

He sat opposite the engineer; a hot cup of Earl Grey in his hands. They sat in comfortable silence, sipping at their tea. He fixed his gaze on the bright moon outside the window. He would recall times when he and Clay would go stargazing for hours. How Clay had been so…innocent and happy. It would never come back.

"It's not good to dwell, you know."

He looked up at the speaker, "You think I didn't know that?" He spat out the words angrily.

"I'm speaking from experience. If you dwell, you'll only hurt yourself in the process,"

Aura reached for a photograph on the desk. It was a photograph of a woman with dark hair and silvery-grey eyes. The woman in the photo spoke of elegance and grace. To Apollo, the woman seemed to have held much importance to Aura; more than what he could ever know.

"But they can always be with you. In some way, you depend on them, even if they're no longer there."

Apollo tilted his head in question. She sighed softly, giving the frame a clean.

"I did nothing for a few weeks, all I did was blame myself. I went back into denying everything. I couldn't accept the facts – I wouldn't. We think of what we wanted to do, or how we should have been there. We just took it all for granted. I rarely speak of the heart, but, love should never be taken for granted."

The lawyer surveyed the woman, she was losing herself in her emotions. He did not need his bracelet to realize that Aura had been through some rough patches. Her brother and her lover had been taken from her at the blink of an eye.

He saw tears form in the corners of her eyes. She opened her mouth as if to speak but closed it again. Apollo wrapped his arms around her; comforting her. She returned the embrace with choked sobs, her hands grabbed at his back.

He felt tears begin to well in his eyes. "I know it's not much but, I'm sorry."

Minutes seemed like hours now as they held each other. The slow ticking of the clock did nothing to soothe Apollo. It was the least he could do. After days of bottling himself up, he finally let the tears come. It was like a barrier finally being opened to release a turmoil of emotions. He never thought this day would come; the day he cried openly.

They broke free from their embrace. Aura placed the frame back on the desk. She tried to stop herself from crying as she spoke to him.

"Apollo, b-believe me when I say this: grieve as much as you like...It's okay to c-cry. It just means t-that you're moving forward. J-just take small steps and when that pain is gone, y-you can settle your score with Hell - or preferably the killer."

Apollo nodded, he smiled weakly at the woman. "I think…I'll be fine."

"Terran would always say that. He came to comfort me one time after Metis died. I think he understood too."

"That sounds just like him."

Aura allowed herself a short, sad smile. "You probably came today with notion of wanting to know why they leave us...I don't know. Neither does anyone else...But what we should have known is that they won't be there forever. What we can do is keep their memory alive and cherish it."

"Thank you, Aura."

"If you want someone to talk to, my door is always open."

He thanked her for the tea and quickly exited the Space Center; a burden lifted off his shoulder.

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><p>He learned a valuable thing that day; Clay Terran was still alive in his memory; not physically but in spirit.<p>

After the UR-1 retrial, the lawyer put his badge back on; his bandages were taken off and the jacket was neglected.

He was born anew; rising from the ashes. He no longer carried grief on his back, but a new Apollo Justice.

He occasionally visited Aura at the prison, they swapped stories and tales. It was she who taught him not to worry. He began to realize he had friends that could help him through. He even forgave Athena when his emotions got the better of him.

Maybe his oldest and most valuable friend was not there anymore, but he honoured the memory. If anything, Clay Terran would be proud of him.

Apollo Justice would be fine.


End file.
